I always said if you can do the job who cares what your gender is. But I mean that in the sense that you must do the job, not a dummied down version of it.Here in New York there was an issue with women firefighters a few years back. If i remember correctly they were given the physical part of the test, with an exception, instead of carrying a 200lb sack up and down a ladder, they only had to carry a 150lb sack. A stop was quickly put to that and all these lawyers and activists were clamoring over it and for once my take on it came out on top. It was decided that it didnt make sense that if one of the women fire fighters found someone weighing 175lbs on the floor of a building that they should leave him for the next person. So that was that. And it was right and just and made sense.So yeah, if your capable of passing whatever physical and mental stuff you have to, to be in combat, then go. If you dont pass the standard test dont blame it on being a woman. Especially in jobs invoving life or death matters.

Nothing new about that. When I was in my 20's the thugs/gangs of the neighborhood used to play knockout (theyd pick a memeber of the group and hed have to punch some innocent passerby as hard as he could in an attempt to knock him out) in the area. They also traveled in groups of 10 and up.I knew alot of them from the neighborhood so it never happend to me but Ive seen them and others at a distance doing it. I used to tell them all "Someday your going to hit the wrong person who will not only not go down but will probably pull out and blow a hole in you one by one." which they then went through a round of what they would do to said person.My only point is literally this, most of these kids are punks. They attack lone travelers or those who they consider the weak. However being thatthye travel in large groups they will occasionaly dare someone to take on a harder looking target and goad them into it. That could be anybody here. All the martial arts in the world might not help you against 15 to 20 drug crazed teenage punks bent on hurting you. Whetehr you carry or not, sometimes discretion is the better part of valor.

Well, here's the best thing I can tell you then. Next time you see a movie and like a few of the songs in the sountrack for that purpose then buy it and make yourself a mixed tape/CD to workout to.If you want some suggestions,

All three Matrix movies, not every song fits your requirements but at least 60% will.

Because of the things you dont want what I'll assume you want to look for is some sort of techno with good base and drum beats.

I remeber as a kid somebody in a Brooklyn junkyard caught a burglar and through a chase in the junkyard the burglar had something fall on him and it paralyzed him from the waist down. He then sued the chaser (owner ) of the place and wound up taking the guy for all he was worth.

2. Learned this from a tourist guide to New Orleans: if a robber asks for your wallet and/or purse, DO NOT HAND IT TO HIM. Toss it away from you ..... chances are that he is more interested in your wallet and/or purse than you and he will go for the wallet/purse. RUN LIKE MAD IN THE OTHER DIRECTION!

Another good trick with this is to carry, in your "off pocket" a $10.00 or $20.00 bill wrapped around a roll of ones. When you pull it the would be mugger will get greedy (especially if he cant take his eyes off it) and you chuck it away from you same as above.

Realisim is for documentaries or instructional videos. I mean you want a certain amount of it so things amke sense but it really is for entertainment. I know people that freaked about the knife forging thing and i was like "Hey, its a movie, not an instructional video on forging." I mean if they are debating whether or not it would take that long, or if its possible, enough heat from the fire. If all those things were included accurately nobody would like the movie as it would be to long and to much like a documentary.

My two cents. What feels better to you? Do that. While you should definately train with both hands, with one stick and two sticks, and maybe even both hands on one long stick, try out what feels natural to you and work on the rest when you gain more confidence.

Well, this is one of those raging debates with no clear answers. Should guns be banned? What is gun control? Who gets to decide? Should citizens have the same equilizing force as the police? Should guns be limited to homes and not for carry? And so on and so on...

I remember as a child there was this T.V. movie (Icant remember the name) in which this guy (I think his wife was killed in a supermarket robbery) lobbied and got this town to allow people to carry guns. Its interesting as it covered a few different sides of the spectrum.

And last but not least,

I was once told by a senior LEO (law enforcement officer) that most gunfights take place with the opponents usually/roughly 8 ft from each other. I dont know how true it is. Im taking this from a post at another site that I thought made an interesting point.

Where to begin?Ever heard of the Tueller drill?If you're ever at a range that is outdoor and allows holster draws or are in the field away from people in a safe area to shoot, try this:Stand facing downrange, pistol in holster.Have a friend stand behind you facing a clear direction, either right or left of you.As the friend taps your shoulder and starts to run...draw your pistol and fire a shot at the target downrange.Your friend stops running as soon as he hears the shot.Measure off how far he's run...if he is in decent shape it can be as much as 30 feet!Action is faster than reaction.Armed with a pistol in a holster, an attacker with a knife can pose a threat as far away as 30'Some police departments have adopted an 18' rule or a 10' rule...I'm of the opinion it could and should be 30' . tueller advocated 21'.Keep this in mind whenever you hear someone talk about "equal force".There was a Police Department in the mid-1980's that involved a deranged homeless guy armed with a Buck 110 and a policeman who shot him...the "equal force" argument was used, his own chief hung him out to dry stating, "None of our police officers should use a firearm to stop a man with a knife."

The name of the department and officer escapes me, but a demonstration of the Tueller drill in the courtroom was instrumental in exonerating him and in changing department policy.

Sgt. Dennis Tueller, Salt Lake City Police published an article "How Close Is Too Close" in SWAT magazine (Survival Weapons and Tactics) 1983.In this article, he discussed the results of a series of tests he had run.His tests showed that, with people of various ages, weights, and heights,they could on average close a distance of 21 feet in about 1.05 seconds.That time: 1.05 seconds was the "drill time" taught by Col. JeffCooper at GunSite for drawing a handgun and firing two aimed shots. Knowingthat people who have been shot do not always or perhaps even often fall down instantly, or otherwise stop dead in their tracks; Tuellerconcluded that a person armed with a knife or club at the so called"intermediate range" of 21 feet was a potentially lethal threat. The"Tueller drill" is a standard part of my Personal Protection Course, along with a similar drill I can't tell you about because it only works once.

Mike searson post

So for the Anti-gun people, with the above said, will you now ban any sharp object like knives, screwdrivers, toothpicks? Then what next will you ban. Boots? Will we all have to walk around in linen sandals? Anything sticklike? Brooms, mops, plungers? Hardcover books?

Of course thats a little extreme but I think that there could be a middle ground between the two groups. But then again, most people just like to to disagree and argue about anything. Lol.

Has anybody been able to try this out personally? I thought it looked good but i dont know how gimmicky it might be. i mean just cause the guy can stand on it without breaking doesnt mean its a good striking tool.

Actually serrations dont have any bearing down here legally they just make the knife look scary to some. The two determining factors are type and length. For instance any assisted opening, switchblade, or even a folder you can "flick" open, are all considered gravity knives, which are illegal. The inches thing is more about the take of the police. I have never seen any law here that says anything about a "legal" specific amount of inches.

Blake, 32, got into a dispute with one of Umali's friends, Jonathan Chan, about a cigarette, and Blake grabbed Chan around the neck. Umali, a computer network administrator, stabbed Blake in his upper thigh with a 6-inch-long fold-up knife used in kali, a Filipino martial art that includes knife-fighting.

This bothered me a little bit in that I dont remember there being "specific folders" for any art. I could be wrong but blades are blades. Most differences are regional and by maker.

Now for my 2 cents.

I dont think this situation was good per say but I do have a couple of things to interject.

1.) As far as the teaching of "deadly arts" its always been my understanding that to learn to defend from them its best to also know how to do the attacks as well as to defend. Also, take anyone with a little smarts and a willingness to read and practice and you have your deadly expert. If you have enough medical knowledge you can easily know which arteries to strike at and thier locations or even just get a chart that shows you how and where. Im sure in this day and age, you could surf the net and find all sorts of pertinant material on the subject.

2.) Teachers are not responsible for thier students actions per say. Now I do believe that if there is someone with an obvious problem that you should let them go but its almost alleviating the responsibility of the individual. Its like saying heavy metal music made the 80's crowd kill themselves. If I show someone how to find the stress point of a building support so they know what to look for in repairs, is it then my fault if they use that knowledge for an evil action? If thats the case we get into the whole idea of banning knowledge.

3.) Now I dont know the specifics of this as I wasnt there but it does sound like the accused was at fault. Knowing that some of you are bouncers understand that this is not a general statement. Sometimes bouncers go to far. I myself have had two circumstances where it happend. In one a place had roughly 8 bouncers. Im about 5'10" 200 lbs. This guy roughly about 6'6" and at least 300lbs, after knocking into me several times on the dance floor so that I had to move away only to have him follow me, decided to push me to prove his point. The guy is huge so I kind of jump back and pull him with me as he pushes and he almost falls, on me. Long story short the bouncers snatch up me and my friend and basically pin us respectively against the bar and the wall, while the monster gets to take pot shots at our faces. Another time I had another huge bouncer "choke me out" as my frind was getting pushed around by four or 5 guys and as one tried to swing around the bouncer to hit him I grabbed his arm. Now the first one just sucked but the second. Being locked up on my throat and leaned on and not being able to breathe is a scary thing. I dont know who this guy is and if he knows when to stop. I wouldnt blame anyone in that situation for going ape, its a natural reaction. Are somethings excessive, sure but the amount of force and type used to restrain somebody might have those kind of consequenses.

4.) Going underground with Martial arts will only make things worse and you'll have these finger of death stories and the like all over the place.

And sorry I didnt think it would be that long and its a bit of a rant.